Malaysia needs to produce more skilled workers in oil and gas sector

Malaysia needs to continue producing skilled workers for the oil and gas (O&G) sector as demand is expected to rise, says Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir.

He emphasised the importance of training programmes as the country’s O&G sector will need over 40,000 skilled workers by 2015.

“The demand is now very, very fixed and efforts towards coming up with enough skilled graduates is being intensified to ensure sufficient supply,” he told Bernama here today.

He was speaking after witnessing the presentation of the American Welding Society Accredited Test Facility Certification under SIRIM Bhd to the Kedah Industrial Skills and Management Development Centre (KISMEC) here today.

He said realising the demand, it is pertinent to have quality training to equip talent with the required skills to successfully enter the workforce.

“If we are not prepared to meet the demand, it could turn potential investors away,” he added.

However, Mukhriz said the government’s Economic Transformation Programme aims to provide more skilled welding personnel including welders, welding inspectors and welding engineers, to reduce the number of foreign workers and  encourage foreign investments into Malaysia.

He hoped that the collaboration between SIRIM and KISMEC will help equip Malaysians with the required skills to fill the 3.3 million jobs available as Malaysia sprints towards becoming a high-income nation by 2020.

“We need to step up to the challenge to ensure that we do not face a shortage of skilled and semi-skilled workers in future, as 52 per cent of the jobs created from now until 2030, require at least semi-skilled  workers,” he said.

He said SIRIM had played its role as the vehicle for technology transfer, especially, in welding technology, for the local industry.

“I believe that KISMEC can now play its role in promoting and upgrading the skills of welding personnel in the northern part of Malaysia under the Northern Corridor Economic Region,” Mukhriz said. — Bernama